WE DIG
WE DON’T
ABOUT THE LAZER IMPALA KINETICORE
The Impala KinetiCore sits atop Lazer’s helmet line, offering the most features and in theory the safest experience. It shares similar looks to the previous generation Lazer helmets, but with more distinct lines and some new features.
TECH FEATURES | The Lazer Impala KinetiCore helmet has an integrated mount for an action camera or light. This sits in the “Teletubby location” – directly on top of the helmet – so for me this is purely just a light mount. The mount is removeable, so if it is not for you, you can ditch it until your night riding season comes up. And in the event of a crash, it’s designed to break away to reduce the likelihood of snagging.
One thing that is not adjustable is the ear loop location, with Lazer opting to use a fixed design. In many other helmets, you can opt to move the buckles up or down based on your head shape, but not in the Impala KinetiCore. As with all helmets, we would recommend trying on the Lazer Impala KinetiCore before you buy it to ensure the fit works well for your head.
Storing your riding glasses is easy thanks to a dedicated slot that will work with many different lens shapes and sizes. However, there are no rubber grippers to keep them in place. On the back of the helmet, rubber is added to help keep goggle straps in place, should that be your style.
Riders in warmer climates are likely to appreciate the 16 total vents on offer, including a large vent front and center. Lazer’s KinetiCore technology also helps to allow air to flow around the head for a cooler riding experience.
For the colder times of the year, there’s a “Winter Kit” available separately, which adds insulation with a custom-fitted fleece liner.
SAFETY | The helmet features Lazer’s DualCore and KinetiCore systems. The DualCore refers to a combination of a soft low-density layer that sits closest to your head, with a firmer high-density foam used closer to the shell. The KinetiCore tech is a series of “towers” that are designed to help to mitigate both rotational and direct impact forces. They do this by providing controlled crumple zones, which redirect energy away from your head in the event of a crash.
While there not a Virgina Tech score for the Lazer Impala KinetiCore at the time of writing, it is CPSC and EN 1078 certified. The helmet’s visor and action camera mount both feature breakaway mechanisms to help limit any snags causing extra torsion on your neck in the event of a crash.
In addition to the helmet’s technical design, it has a little something extra up its sleeve to keep you safe out on the trail. The Impala KinetiCore has RECCO technology built in. This is a location transmitting system used by search and rescue teams. Search And Rescue units can use an active detector to scan for the passive RECCO reflector found in Lazer’s helmet. For the rider, this does not require any battery power or charging; It simply lives in the background for an added sense of safety should you really mess up on the trail. While this may be more useful in an avalanche situation, it does not bring along any notable drawbacks.
FIT | While there are only 3 different sizes on offer (S,M,L) the fit range is quite wide, ranging from 52cm to 61cm. Lazer’s TurnSys adjustment mechanism is very similar to BOA, but has more pronounced clicks. There is also a vertical adjustment for the fit system that will better help fit your head shape. This offers a greater range of movement than I have seen, helping to fit more heads. Keeping the helmet on your head is a magnetic buckle, making for easy operation and no pinching.
BUYING OPTIONS | The Lazer Impala KinetiCore helmet is available in a choice of five colors, with a retail price of $219.99 / £199.99.
THE DIRT
FIT AND FEEL | It is very rare that I find myself outside of the medium size in any helmet, and that remains true for the Lazer Impala KinetiCore. The fit was spot on for my 55cm head size. My more oval shape means that even though I have a 55cm measurement, I need a bit more space fore and aft inside the shell. Thankfully, there was plenty of extra room on tap without feeling loose or unsafe, and the TurnSys system adapted to my head well. I found the middle height adjustment of the fit system to be the sweet spot for me, giving scope for riders with a more extreme head shape.
The padding on the inside of the Lazer Impala KinetiCore was quite comfortable, and there were no uncomfortable hot spots. But there was one issue I found with the pad: the very front edge rubbed on my forehead. When stood still, there was no issue, but when on trail moving around, the outer edge made contact and was scratchy. For the sake of the review, I did not try to modify this in any way.
One thing that really threw off the feel for me was the positioning of the buckle straps. I found these to sit closer to my throat, almost resting on my Adam’s apple. When properly tightened down, there was a fair amount of pressure placed on my throat, which was amplified when tilting my head down. This may have been remedied if the ear straps were adjustable, but ultimately, the fixed design had me feeling slightly uncomfortable. The magnetic buckle worked great and was something our whole crew was a big fan of.
I found the Lazer Impala KinetiCore helmet to really drive cold air in and hot air out. The many channels on the interior of the helmet allowed for some impressive breathability. With a total of 16 vents, there was a significant amount of fresh air entering the helmet.
SAFETY | Lazer’s innovation for helmet safety is notable. Few brands dare to step outside of the MIPS system, so when we see a brand do something different, it is always worth checking out. While there is still no testing data from Virginia Tech on this helmet, based on the design ethos of the helmet, what Lazer claims does make sense.
I did not have to test the helmets safety features, thankfully. However, when playing around with fit, I came across a glaring issue: the 4 protruding points on the front of the helmet – see pictures for reference.
The area where the red shell meets the black foam was very sharp, with an unfinished feel. Rotating the back of the helmet up just slightly and pressing on the front, these 4 points pushed uncomfortably into my forehead. I could foresee a heavy impact at the right angle replicating this with a higher magnitude, which could cause further injury.
Maybe I was overthinking this, but it was something that was glaringly apparent to me before even putting the helmet on. Additionally, when fitting or removing the helmet with the fit dial in my “ready-to-ride” position, the sharp edges would scrape across my forehead. I am surprised this was not addressed by any other outlets, as it is one of the main reasons why I would not recommend this helmet.
FEATURES | The Lazer Impala KinetiCore had some solid features included, which you would expect for its premium price tag. The integrated light and action camera mount was a nice touch, and worked well for my DJI Action Cam and Outbound light. There is some play in the mount due to the breakaway feature, but it was not enough to dissuade me from using it for a light. I personally dislike the POV angle from atop the helmet, but it is there, should you want to use it.
If you are a core enduro rider and still rock goggles on your half shell, then you are in luck with this helmet, with a rubber patch to help keep the strap in place. Where they did not add any rubber was on the edges surrounding the glasses storage area. This made keeping my glasses in place tricky at times, especially on glasses with no silicon on them either. I found that the only way to keep the glasses from falling off was to run the adjustable visor in the lowest position, creating a stopper for the brim of the glasses to hit. This rattled on any mildly rough terrain.
Having the RECCO device on the helmet is a bonus, though with limited adoption outside of winter sports, its effectiveness is questionable. While it may not be as beneficial to mountain bikers, it is something that provides an extra layer of safety when deep in the mountains. While we may not run into many avalanches on the trail, we do often ride at or near sub-freezing temps in the PNW.
Lazer offers a winter kit that slips into the shell of the helmet and integrates with the rear dial and straps. As someone that struggles with cold ears during the winter months I love this idea. While you can you a balaclava to have the same effect, I think this is a neat add-on that shows some attention to detail by the brand.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
In game of comparisons, I feel that the best helmet to pit this against is the Fox Speedframe Pro. Both land around that $200 mark, and are within 10 grams of weight. Both have rotational impact technologies, with very different approaches. Both have dedicated glasses storage, with the Fox proving slightly more effective, and both feature a magnetic buckle with 3 shell sizes.
Where the Speedframe Pro pulls ahead for me is in overall comfort. The Lazer Impala KinetiCore was very comfortable around the top of my head, but the issues with the strap and shell contacting my forehead made it lose out here. To top it off the Speedframe Pro sits in second place of Virginia Tech’s safest trail helmets at the time of writing, only being beaten by its big brother, the Speedframe RS. I would love to see some data come from the Lazer Impala KinetiCore in the future to see how it stacks up.
The Wolf’s Last Word
The Lazer Impala KinetiCore ticks many boxes, but it was not enough for me to keep in my rotation of helmets. While the fit was mostly comfortable, the minor details that have a major impact on fit for me caused significant issues. While we believe this helmet to offer a safe place to put your dome, we would love to see data come out from 3rd party testers supporting Lazer’s safety claims. 
Price: $219.99
Website: Lazersport.us
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ABOUT THE WOLF
Cole’s den is in Spokane WA, where he relocated a few years back. Growing up in the lush, loamy playgrounds of the PNW, his soul is forever tied to steep, rooty descents and that unmistakable squish of perfect dirt. After 19 years of shredding, Cole’s been on every kind of rig out there. Once a die-hard fan of big travel bikes, he’s now on a quest for the mythical short-travel do-it-all machine. And yes, skids may be for kids, but this middle-aged manchild is here to prove they’re also for anyone who loves having a damn good time.
Rank: Professional Amateur
Size: 6’1” / 185cm | 170lbs / 77kg
Social: @adventuresbycole
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